Cast: Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Aidan Quinn, Stockard Channing , Dianne Wiest

Director: Griffin Dunne

Previews: Wizard of Oz reissue, You've Got Mail, Living Out Loud

If ever there was a "90’s chick flick" representative of the morals and opinions of the 90s female, then this movie might just be it. It’s too bad that the writers once again have given us a weak story to go with a sporadically charming and humorous movie. Practical Magic concerns a family of witches, two sisters, (Bullock and Kidman), two "aunts" (Channing and Weist) and two daughters. Kind of sounds like the occult version of Noah’s ark. The cast is mostly female, and the only men are stereotypical. One good, one bad, and one dreamy. Basically, the three classes that most women fit men into. Dog, Angel, and Soulmate.

The thin plot concerns a murder, and an investigation, and the alienation of the sisters, and all females from the family, based upon a family tree laced with black magic.

There are some truly fun and charming scenes in this movie, enough, to make me recommend it. A margarita scene..(~A lime in the coconut..is all I will say), which is a pure joy, and a scene with Kidman, and Bullock’s daughters, that is truly touching. But unfortunately, this movie seems little more than a series of situations to hold these scenes together. The basic gist of the plot could’ve been handled in about 20 minutes less time. Instead, we get nearly two hours of setup, trudging through moments of boredom at times, fun, and completely touching emotion others, this movie is inconsistent in its methods. But, as I’ve said, the savior of this movie, fittingly enough, is it’s charm.

The performances here are good, Bullock and Kidman, play opposites, yet the same on the inside, just taking differing paths there. Both of these actresses have their own kind of charm, Bullock’s performance seems more heartfelt and honest, while Kidman’s displays more of her range, from fun, carefree, to emotional and honest, including a fairly dead-on Linda Blair impression.

The true scene stealers here are Wiest and Channing as the playful, well meaning, aunts. When they are on the screen, this movie is sheer joy, I kind of wish there was more of them. I wish this movie had focused, on either the romances, trials and tribulations, or the dark side, the murder, and it’s repurcussions

Trying to classify this movie, is next to impossible. It’s a romance, it’s a comedy, at times, it’s dark, at times, haunting others, and I think this lack of focus is where director Dunne loses his way. If he had focused on any one of those, he would have had a better movie, as it is now, he has a good date movie, a good movie for fans of Bullock, Kidman, the lighter side of witchcraft. As I’ve said, this is a good movie..equatable, to summer’s Hope Floats, with a darker touch, but still only a matinee, or video recommendation.

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